Radford wide receiver Jameson Pasigan makes a leaping reception over Nanakuli's Brandon Felisi. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Radford's Mana Kakiva scored on a 10 yard touchdown run, and also added 4 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Eugene Tanner | SL

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Nanakuli running back Brandon Felisi tiptoes the sideline in the first half against Radford. Eugene Tanner | SL

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Radford running back Chris Jackson carries the ball against Nanakuli. Eugene Tanner | SL

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Radford quarterback gets a pass attempt off in the nick of time as a Nanakuli defender comes in to make the hit. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Radford recovered this fumble by Nanakuli in the endzone for a late score. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Radford players celebrate after defeating Nanakuli for the OIA White Division title. Eugene Tanner | SL

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Fri, Nov 2, 2012 @ Aloha Stadium [ 4:30 pm ]

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Nanakuli

6

Radford

21

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Nanakuli (7-5-0)	0	0	6	0	6
Radford (11-2-0)	0	0	7	14	21

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Cody Lui-Yuen 118 yd

Chazz Troutman 153 yd 1 TD

Chris Jackson 63 yd 1 TD

Brandon Felisi 110 yd

Jameson Pasigan 48 yd

Brandon Felisi 66 yd

HALAWA - When the going got tough, Fred Salanoa put the ball in the hands of his best player and Mana Kakiwa did the rest.

Kakiwa ran in a touchdown and forced a fumble that led to another score to lead Radford to a 21-6 win over Nanakuli in the title game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference Tournament Friday night.

A crowd of about 3,000 at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium saw the second-seeded Rams improve to 10-1 and claim their first league crown since 2005. The game was televised live statewide on OC16.  

"We got off to a late start in this game, but we didn't give up and that's the main thing," said Kakiwa, a defensive end/running back. "That's the kind of team we are - we're tough and we don't let up. We don't stop until that clock hits zero."

Kakiwa finished with four tackles, including a sack, and intercepted a late Nanakuli pass attempt.

"Defense wins championships - we've always said that - and that's what we banked on and that's what happened tonight," Salanoa said.

Nanakuli, which fell to 6-4, outgained Radford in total offensive yards, 294 to 196, but turned it over five times on three fumbles and two interceptions.

The Golden Hawks held Rams' quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen to just 118 passing yards on 8-of-32 passing with one interception and no touchdowns and limited Radford to just 75 rushing yards, but could not overcome its offensive miscues.

"The kids did a great job, we were trying to blitz their quarterback often and play man-to-man ... you just have to give Radford credit. They deserved it," Nanakuli coach Skippy Lopes said.

Nanakuli held a 6-0 lead late in the third quarter, and had its chances, but faltered several times down the stretch.

Running back Brandon Felisi finished with game-highs of 20 rushes for 110 yards, but lost a pair of fourth-quarter fumbles, including one at the 1-yard line that Cayman Conley recovered for the Rams. The fumble was forced by Amu Poe.

"That was big time, but we practice those scenarios and we practice those game-like situations like the strip and all those things, so it's not by luck that those things happened," Salanoa said.

A second Felisi fumble later in the fourth quarter was recycled into a 10-yard touchdown run by Kakiwa, which made the score, 14-6, with two minutes and 38 seconds to play. The fumble, which was forced by Logan Soakai, was covered up by Devin O'Neal.

On the Golden Hawks' next play from scrimmage, Kakiwa sacked Nanakuli's Chazz Troutman for a 4-yard loss and he followed that with a forced fumble that was recovered by teammate Erik Lutali for an insurance Rams' score.

"I think he went into what the kids call 'Superman mode,' but you know, he was hurting and he was tired, but he endured to the end," Salanoa said of Kakiwa's late-game heroics. "When we went up with that second touchdown, we wanted to put the ball in our best players' hands and Mana is our best player."

The Rams, who put up 63 points in their last outing, were held well under their average of more than 40 points per game.

"With the offense struggling, (the defense) knew we had to step up and make a big play," Kakiwa said. "We had to spark something for the offense and that's what we did, but everything was possible because of the Man upstairs. I felt that I just had to keep pushing and I was just blessed to be in the right spot to make those plays and our team was blessed to come out with the victory."

The teams played to a scoreless tie at halftime.

Radford squandered its best scoring opportunity in the first half. Defensive back Zach Herman intercepted a Nanakuli pass to give the Rams possession at the Golden Hawks' 36-yard line. On the very next play, Lui-Yuen underthrew a wide-open Zach Tinao-Rabellizsa deep in Nanakuli territory along the right sideline and Radford eventually punted away.

The Golden Hawks put together a seven-play drive to follow, but was forced to punt and the Rams ran out the clock until the intermission.

Nanakuli got on the board with 3:37 left in the third quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Troutman to Joseph Shelton, but the ensuing PAT was blocked by the Rams' Ammon Seei, who also recorded a second-half interception.

Radford took the lead just minutes later on a 1-yard Chris Jackson run that was set-up by a 52-yard Cayman Conley punt that pinned Nanakuli at its own 1-yard line a series earlier and a 43-yard pass from Lui-Yuen to Jameson Pasigan.

"We knew that they would come out hard and that they were becoming scrappy, especially to beat Kaiser and so, we knew that we'd have to come out with it and we knew that we'd have to play four quarters," Salanoa said.

Radford, which has now won four straight, also beat Nanakuli, 42-7, in a regular-season game back on Oct. 6 at John E. Velasco Field.

Nanakuli, the fourth seed, was seeking its first OIA championship since 1983. Both schools previously clinched berths into the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships.